By DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal News Service
RENO - University of Nevada football coach Chris Ault admits he has some big holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and he believes that his first recruiting class since returning to coaching, filled them.
The Wolf Pack signed 17 players - 11 freshmen and six from the junior college ranks - to national letters of intent. The Wolf Pack head coach said he would like to redshirt all the freshman if possible.
"Of those 17, 13 were on championship teams, or teams that made the playoffs," Ault said. "That tells you the type of player (and program) we went after."
Ault said he was looking mainly to shore up three areas - the defensive secondary, the offensive line and wide receiver.
The offensive line needed help after the Wolf Pack lost guard Isaiah Ross, center Steve Church and left tackle Alan Parker to graduation, leaving right tackle Harvey Dahl and left guard Chris Hines as the only returning starters.
Ault signed four linemen, including freshmen 6-4 285-pound Bobby Lepori out of Bishop Manogue in Reno, 6-3 275-pound Brad Eskew from Roseville High in the Sacramento area and 6-2, 275-pound Dominic Green from Jesuit High, also in the Sacramento area, and junior Thomas Stevens, a 6-2 315-pound brute from Harbor College in Los Angeles.
"Stevens is as wide as he is tall," said Ault. "He's strong and has great work habits. He'll compete right away for a starting job (at center or guard).
"We needed offensive linemen that can move," added Ault, referring to Lepori, who had originally committed to Fresno State. "He'll report in around 290, but the weight will be distributed differently. Eskew is a very solid player. Physically, he's one of the strongest players we recruited. Dominic has great feet. We started to recruit him as a defensive lineman. They've got to be the future."
The wide receiver corp was depleted by the graduation of Maurice Mann, Randell Lewis and Tim Fleming, and Willie Johnson is no longer part of the team.
That meant Ault needed immediate help, and he found it at the junior college level.
Trevor Brackett, a transfer from College of the Canyons in Southern California, caught 38 passes for 800 yards and six scores last year. Sophomore Caleb Spencer from Palomar College caught 42 passes for 772 yards and five scores. Brackett was the first receiver to commit to the Wolf Pack. Mike McCoy, a freshman from Colfax, caught 153 passes for nearly 2,800 yards and 40 scores.
"Trevor has great hands," Ault said. "I'm very impressed with his demeanor. Spencer was a quarterback at the start of last season, but they needed a receiver and put him outside. Mike has great hands. He's sneaky fast. He runs track and has plenty of natural ability."
The steal of the class might be quarterback Ben Galbraith, a freshman from Colfax High, who threw for more than 5,000 yards and 57 touchdowns the last two years. He is coached by Tony Martello, a former graduate assistant under Ault.
With his knowledge of the offense, he will push Jeff Rowe and Travis Moore next season.
"He's very intelligent; a quality quarterback," Ault said. "We're excited to have Ben with us. He's got a strong arm."
On defense, the Wolf Pack will run the 'Desert Swarm' made famous by the University of Arizona several years ago. It's a defense based on quickness, so expect the Wolf Pack to be in an attacking mode at all times.
"On defense we got a lot faster," said Ken Wilson, the linebacker coach. "We're going to put more pressure on teams this year. Even if we aren't blitzing, we're not going to sit back in a base defense."
The most important thing is finding a defensive end to take up the slack created by the graduation of Jorge Cordova, who was arguably the best defensive player in the Western Athletic Conference last year.
"Trying to replace Jorge is a big, big order," Ault said.
Ault did bring in defensive end Corey Fagan, a 6-3 240-pound defensive end from Delta College in Stockton, Calif. Fagan had 8.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
Needing cornerbacks desperately, Ault signed Kevin Stanley, a junior transfer, and freshman De'Angelo Wilson out of Sacramento. Also in the mix is Ray Green, who hurt his knee a year ago.
Stanley had 88 tackles, 20 deflections and eight interceptions at Victor Valley College. He also had 864 all-purpose yards on offense.
"He played both ways and never came off the field," Ault said. "He will compete at cornerback next year.
"I'm want some shut-down cornerbacks. Guys that start at the ankles and work up to the neck. We don't have any now, but we will."
Logan Carter is the only starting linebacker returning, but he will undoubtedly be joined by Roosevelt Cooks, a 5-10 215-pound outside linebacker, who transferred in from Fresno City College.
"He's versatile," Ault said. "He's strong and has good speed. I'm surprised they moved him to the inside (at Fresno City College)."